The Truth About Embry
by KaramelKat
Summary: A collaboration by Twilight fanfiction authors Bkhchica & Karamelkat of here and Tricky Raven. Embry Call finally confronts his mother to ask her the question that has haunted him his whole life.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is a collaboration originally written for Fandom Cause 4 Autsim – as set forth by Goldengirl2707 of JBNP. Bkhchica and I knew while writing it that we wanted to extend our one shot into a small multi-chapter story. We'd like to give kudos and thanks to everyone who donated to receive their pdf file of the original story. I know those who received the file, already know the ending, but we the authors, hope you like what we do with the extension of our one-shot.

**Beta and Pre-read** by October Skies

**Banner **by Cat(Rhodes11)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

~*The Beginning*~

"_Embry, you have to go in for the kill. Hesitating will get someone hurt or worse,_" Sam's voice echoed in my head.

"_But Sam, what if it's not-_"

"_It won't matter. If they are on tribal lands, they die. Cullen or not. I don't care if Bella thinks they're good. They're still vampires. They will not break the treaty or they will suffer the consequences,_" he interrupted my protest.

"_Fine. I just think-_"

"_Damn it Embry, we know what you think! Stop being the pack's pansy-ass, little bastard for once and do your fucking job!_" Paul's growling thoughts flooded the pack mind.

Paul's name-calling pissed me off. Yeah okay, so maybe I didn't have a dad that admits I'm his. But does it have to be pointed out every time I don't do something just the way they wanted it done? If I hadn't already been phased, I'd have wolfed-out then.

I was getting sick and tired of everyone in the pack insulting me or pitying me as the only member who couldn't trace their blood lineage. Paul and Leah were the ones who brought it up the most - Leah to take the heat off herself and Paul just to be an asshole. I didn't need it pointed out to me that my father wasn't there for me. Every time anyone in the pack shared memories about fishing trips they took or baseball games they watched with their dads - it was a frequent reminder of what I was missing.

Paul's insult made my hackles rise and a rumble ripped from my chest. "_At least my mother loved me enough to stick around Paul! Where's your mom? Drowning in the bottle again?_"

His anger at my question doubled my anger, the intensity of it echoing throughout the entire pack. We were both seeing red.

"_At least my mom married my dad! She didn't forget the jimmy hat in a one night stand!_" Paul snarled.

I'd had enough. White hot rage bubbled up inside me. I was ready to rip him limb from limb. Who cared about vampires? Right at that moment, Paul Lahote was going to meet his ancestors; I would make sure of it. I hunched down ready to leap at him. "_Don't you talk about my mom like that!_"

"_Oh, so we can talk about my mom and how she's an addict, but not yours - the tribe whore?_"

Paul was a dead wolf.

I struck without strategy, intent on burying my teeth into Paul's neck. My lupine form sailed through the air and landed on top of him. His defeat was going to be epic - the pack bastard humiliating the pack asshole.

Paul pulled his lips back to flash his incisors, his head twisting to meet my attack. He didn't intimidate me. I was bigger than he was. My teeth were longer. He was dexterous, turning quickly. Our bodies clashed, each of us trying to get the upper hand. We were a blur of snarling, snapping teeth and fur.

Just as my teeth gathered at Paul's neck to force him into submission, Sam interrupted us.

"_**Embry, release him.**_" The Alpha's double timbre gave me no other option. Releasing Paul, I sank down to the ground. I couldn't fight Sam's order. I wanted to - tried to - but couldn't. "_You're tired from patrolling all night. Go home and get some rest, Embry._"

"_Fine. But I swear, if he calls me a bastard one more time, I'll rip him apart,_" I growled in response, baring my teeth at Paul. He snarled in response and Sam quickly tamped down both our anger with an ordered, "_Go home!_"

Spinning around, I dashed away, the forest a blur of color around me. Sleep sounded good, but I was sick of all this - tired of the questions hanging over me. I wanted answers.

I needed answers.

And I was determined to get them. I wasn't going to let Mom dodge my questions anymore. I just had to know - once and for all - who was my father? Was it Billy Black? Was it Quil's father who wasn't even alive anymore? Was it Joshua Uley? Was my brother one of my very best friends or my Alpha? Hell, at this point, I wouldn't rule out Harry Clearwater either. Only my mom and dad knew.

I was closing in on home. The sounds of my mom moving around in the kitchen reached my ears just a second before the smell of bacon hit my nose. She was cooking one of my favorite breakfast foods. My stomach howled its hunger loudly in response. I shoved thoughts of food to the back of my mind. I was on a mission. I couldn't let my stomach distract me.

At the tree line, just behind my house, I had to take several calming breaths in order to phase back to human. I threw on my cutoffs and paced back and forth, collecting myself for what was to come. _Do I just demand answers? Do I ask nicely?_

_Yeah, 'cuz that's worked well for me in the past. I guess I just wing it. She's my mom... I don't want to hurt her feelings, but damn it, I deserve to know!_ My internal debate continued until I heard her calling for me to come get my breakfast, her voice faint through the walls of the house. _Shit. I wasn't in there_.

Her footsteps creaked on the floorboards in the hallway as she made her way to my bedroom. The door was opened and her heart-heavy sigh reached my enhanced wolf ears, even from this distance. "Gone," she whispered.

I heard her walking back through the house. The doorknob on the back door turned and I knew this was it, the time of reckoning. It was the same every morning.

"Embry? Are you out here?" Mom called out into the misty morning air, her eyes searching the backyard for my presence. The smell of her worry reached my nose, mixed with the scent of frying bacon and the morning dew that clung to the grass. Knowing what was the cause of her worry - my nightly disappearances - my stomach churned with guilt.

She didn't know I was a shape shifter. My mother had no clue that the world of the supernatural existed. She thought I was just acting out - a delinquent rebel - disappearing at all hours of the day and night, doing "God knows what" as she put it. I can't begin to count on my hands the number of times I had been railed and fussed at, lectured and questioned, until she was blue in the face.

I hated keeping the secret from her. I hated that my own mother thought I was a bad seed, heading for a life of juvenile detention, followed by jail. Her words, not mine. It hurt worse that when I stood there, stoically silent, she accused me of not caring.

It's not that I didn't care - because I did. I cared too much.

Squaring my shoulders, I sucked in a deep breath. It was exhaled in a whoosh of nerves. I set my jaw with determination as I readied myself to face her disappointment. I couldn't let her deter me from my goal. I wanted to know who my father was and I was going to get my answer.

I emerged from the forest just as she turned to go back in the house. I called out to her, "Mom?" She stopped and her dark brown eyes lifted to mine. Already I could see the accusation in them.

"Are you kidding me, Embry? Please tell me you just got up a little bit earlier than me and were home all night. In your bed." Her hands were on her hips and her mouth tilted down.

I hung my head and dragged my toe through the dirt on the ground. I didn't need to respond to her words. She had already seen the proof in my made bed that I had not slept there.

"Why? Why are you just now coming home from school yesterday? You've been out all night again, haven't you? What have you been doing? With who? Was it those boys again? What am I to do with you?"

"Yes, I was with Sam. He needed my help." I watched as her frown deepened at my response. Inside, I was begging her to understand, to let this go and just believe that I was still the responsible kid that she raised me to be.

"Help with what?" Her question hung between us. I knew my silence would break her heart just that little bit more every day. "Em... We never kept secrets from each other before now. What is going on with you?"

My head snapped up at her words and suddenly my anger was back tenfold. We didn't keep secrets did we? She was keeping the biggest one of all.

There was a fire blazing in my eyes as I met her gaze. My fists clenched and unclenched almost spasming with my effort to cease the trembling that told of my rage. I tried to remain calm; truly I did, sucking in deep breaths of air to stave off the phase. Running away in this moment wouldn't get me the answers I sought.

"Really, mom? We don't keep secrets from each other?" My voice was harsh, spoken through gritted teeth as I confronted her. "You've kept a big one from me my whole life! I have begged and pleaded - no. Asked and cried for you to be honest with me, just once, to tell me who my father is. But you never have."

I could smell her tears even as they began to make tracks down her face. Usually my mom's crying would instantly guilt me into giving up. Not today. Crying wasn't going to get me to back down now. I couldn't let it.

"Embry, we've talked about this. Please just let it go. It's not important." My mother's words fell on deaf ears and a hard heart.

"Not important?" I was livid. How could she think knowing the identity of my father wouldn't be important? Didn't she know what I went through every day with the name-calling and whispers behind my back? Didn't she know what those who knew the secret whispered about her?

"How can you say that it's not important?" I could feel tears building up behind my own eyes. "Mom, please. I need to know. Everyone knows my father is from here. They all know! I can't take their stares any more. Just tell me! Who is he?"

She stared at me, her hands going to the tie at her robe to fidget with the ends of it. "Embry..."

I interrupted her, not wanting to hear excuses.

"You're crazy if you think it doesn't matter. I think, after all these years, I deserve to know, mother." She jolted at that word. I never called her mother unless I was really angry. I wanted to strike out at something; the wolf was begging to release the anger coursing through me. How I had held on this long, I didn't know.

"Embry, I want to tell you. You deserve to know," she was still crying, "but that doesn't change the fact I'm not going to tell you. Please Embry, don't. I just can't tell you." She hiccupped between sobs. She took a deep breath to stave off the next hiccup and added, "Honey, you wouldn't believe me if I did tell you."

"Really? Try me, I bet I could surprise you." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and dared her to continue denying me the answer.

Her shoulders rose and fell as yet another hiccup shook her small frame. Her mouth opened and then closed. I could see her entertaining the possibility of answering me. Hope flared in my chest, only to be crushed a moment later when she let out a long, drawn out, suffering sigh.

She turned away from me, calling over her shoulder, "Breakfast is ready. Come eat." She stopped, turning to face me with her hand on the door, "And Embry, you're grounded for a month because of last night."

Seriously? She had to be joking. After all this time, she _still_ wasn't going to tell me? Red clouded my vision and I yelled into the sky, desperately trying to rid myself of the anger that overflowed. I was unaware of her gasp as my yell turned into a howl of despair.

Shit. I was going to phase. I couldn't do it there, in front of her. My feet flew over the packed ground, echoing the choppy, staccato rhythmic beating of my heart trying to break free from my chest. I was only halfway to the trees and I knew I wouldn't make it there. Flames of fury licked at my insides- fanning the flames of my pain until I was burning up from the rage.

I exploded into fur and four paws. I skidded to a stop in the trees and let loose my frustration, howling again to the morning sky. The forest around me trembled and stilled beneath my fury. When my howl silenced, so did the forest around me. No small creature scurried for cover. Even the birds stopped chirping their happy morning tune in deference to my inner-turmoil.

My first thought was for flight. Fight or Flight.

Run.

I should run.

Away.

Anywhere but here. Somewhere, where no one would know me. They wouldn't know my history as a fatherless bastard. A fresh start. Yeah, that's just what I needed. I could do this. I didn't need anything from anybody. I could grab a pair of shorts from a tree at the edge of La Push..

Turning to run, a desperate voice called out into the air, erasing my first instinct to flee. It was the grief in her tone that gripped me and held my paws still.

"Oh my God, Embry! What-?" I could hear the question mixed in with the sorrow in her voice. What she said next struck me as strange, but in my angered state, I didn't understand it. "Please sweetie! Come back! I didn't know! I didn't know..." Her voice trailed off on a sob.

I turned back around, and my wolf eyes found themselves staring into my mother's chocolate ones.

Damn.

I had wanted to keep her from this life. Jake and Quil had begged Sam to let me tell her the secret, to stop the groundings and yelling I suffered through. I had declined the offer Sam made to allow the exception. They say what you don't know can't hurt you. I was trying to keep my mom ignorant of this, the supernatural world. I didn't want her to fear the things that go bump in the night: the vampires, the werewolves, and other bad things.

But now, she could see what I was with her own eyes.

Shit.

She pleaded once more. "Please come back in and I'll tell you everything Embry. Please, sweetie."

I snuffled at her and nodded, hoping she'd get the hint. She turned and I phased back. Slipping into a pair of gym shorts that I pulled from a hollowed hole in a tree, I was almost nervous. All this time spent wondering and dreaming. Now I'd know for sure. There would be no going back.

I had a sudden moment of panic because for a split second I thought about turning around and running. I must be crazy, because this is what I wanted all this time - to know the truth about my father. Was it Billy? Harry? Josh? Quil IV? Once I knew his name, I would never be able to forget it and my life would be changed forever.

My feet made the decision for me and I found myself following my mom back into the house. Mentally I was bracing myself for her answer - imagining the worst possible scenario - but a part of me was impatient and excited to learn his name.

We sat down at the kitchen table and I waited, watching her. She was staring pensively at me, something I would see her do every so often in the past. Just as they usually did, her eyes grew distant as she remembered something I was not privy to. This time, she didn't shake her head with a look of regret. Instead her lips lifted as her gaze refocused on me and her smile was radiant.

Her eyes were shining with love. In that moment, she seemed younger and more girlish than the woman who raised me. It had never occurred to me in all the years I had seen her glance at me sideways, that she had been a woman in love, her heart broken. It never crossed my mind that whatever else she had with my father, it had been love.

I could smell that the bacon had already burnt in the hot pan on the stove. The eggs were stiffening in the pot, but none of that mattered to me. I waited eagerly as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I know you must be confused sweetie," she began, clasping her hands together on the table before her. "Your father was a very special man, Embry. Just like you." Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she said, "He could do what you just did - turn into a wolf."

I felt my body jolt with shock at her words. In my head, pictures of Jake, Quil and Sam's fathers spun like a slot machine, only to halt on three question marks instead of their image. What did she just say?

(To Be Continued…)


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This chapter is rated M for mild drug usage.

We'd like to thank October Skies and Meliz875 for beta'ing this chapter for us!

_Embry's POV:_

_My mother continued to ramble,unaware that anything was wrong with me. _

"_I never dreamed in a million years that this would happen to you, baby. I didn't want you to even know. I'm jumping the gun though. I should start at the beginning..." she babbled as if my world had not just been spun off its axis._

"_It was a long time ago, and yet, sometimes, it feels like it was just yesterday. I was in my freshman year at junior college. Some friends and I had decided to go camping at the north end of Ozette Lake on our Spring Break..."_

Chapter 1: Spring Fever

March 1989

"It's definitely Jordan," Amber said, glancing at me from the visor mirror where she was checking her make-up. She swiped her finger along her lips, removing the excess coral lipstick from the edges. Hazel eyes sparkled as they met mine, her grin infectious, "If I got to sleep with any one of them, it'd be him."

"Ugh!"

I couldn't contain my giggles as my friend Mandy covered her ears in protest of Amber's admission.

"I'd pick Donnie Wahlberg myself," Chrissy spoke from the driver's seat, her dark brown eyes glancing in the rearview mirror before signaling to pass a car.

"Nooo!" Mandy protested, her strawberry blonde, spiral curls bouncing when she shook her head vigorously. "They are so gay! Can we please change the music? Bon Jovi? Poison? Metallica? Hell, I'll even take my chances with the radio. Anyone but these wannabes, please!"

I was snorting with laughter at that point. Chrissy and Amber had jacked the cassette deck with the latest New Kids on the Block tape. I was pretty easy going as to what we listened to, but Mandy was a hard core rock girl. If it didn't blow out the bass, she didn't want to hear it.

"Tiffany, come on! You agree with me on this, right?" Mandy turned to me, her huge blue eyes frantic and desperately pleading for my consent.

"Nuh-uh," I protested with a large grin. "Don't drag me into this."

"This boy band crap has to go!"

"My car, my rules, so suck it up, Mandy." Chrissy was only teasing, but that didn't stop her from turning the volume dial up even louder as she and Amber both broke into the chorus of _You Got The Right Stuff._

I gave Mandy a sympathetic shrug before joining in the chorus. She threw her head back, gagging in frustration at the choice of music, causing the rest of us to giggle even more.

The four of us were on a camping road trip, headed to Ozette Lake for Spring Break. We were all exhausted from cramming for midterms. It had been a long week of tests, our brains fried from the amount of knowledge we attempted to retain from the current and previous semester. Amber's last mid-term was that morning and she had hopped straight into Chrissy's beat up Plymouth after leaving the classroom. It was Friday afternoon and we were all looking forward to cutting loose for the next week.

It was unseasonably warm and dry for early in March and we were taking advantage of it. The trunk was packed full of our bags and necessities. Some of Amber and Chrissy's friends already went to the campsite at Ozette Lake the previous day, and they had all the equipment we needed to make the week fun.

"So which one would you sleep with, Tiff?"

Looking in the mirror, I noticed Chrissy's eyes on mine as she repeated the question that had prompted the conversation.

Before I could answer, Mandy did it for me.

"Oh, Tiffany won't be sleeping with any of those fags; she's saving herself for '_Embry Stronghold.'" _Mandy used air quotes to emphasize her point. "You should have seen her fussing about missing out on her soap."

I reached over to hit my roommate on her shoulder. "Shut up! My show is getting good this week. I think he's finally going to figure out that Brooke is cheating on him."

Thanks to the fact we shared dorm space, Mandy and I knew way too much about each other. I knew she slept with a fluffy, white teddy bear named Andy Jo every night and she knew to never touch the VCR when it was recording _The Sun Also Sets_ every day at noon. Mandy liked to tease me about my soap opera addiction.

The two of us had hit it off the moment we met. Mandy was very outgoing, loud and opinionated. I was more reserved but she always managed to pull me into her orbit of activities - willing or not. Thanks to Mandy, I had met more people during the fall semester than I would have on my own. Through her I had met Chrissy, who went to high school with Mandy. Chrissy was on the track team with Amber and it was a few of their fellow team members who were waiting for us up at the lake.

As much as I loved Mandy - she was like a sister - I couldn't let her get away with divulging my secret love affair with Embry Stronghold.

It was time to bring out the big guns.

"Hey, Mandy? Guess who I heard is coming on the camping trip?"

"Who?"

"Steve's coming," Amber answered, watching for Mandy's reaction.

Cheeks flushing, Mandy sputtered. "W...why would you think that I cared?"

"Oh, stop playing around. We all know that you love him," Chrissy replied.

There were no two individuals more opposite than Mandy Snyder and Steve Webber. Mandy was a wild child of rock. Steve was preppy, yuppy. Mandy preferred ripped holes in her acid wash jeans, while Steve wore tan, pressed chinos. She had a wrist tattoo - he wore a Swatch.

Mandy had confided in me about her crush on Steve. She called it, a strange and unnatural phenomenon - like two magnetic fields, repelling and attracting her at the same time. Mandy was a science major.

"Well at least he's attainable," Mandy muttered under her breath. "I don't want to get horizontal with a fictional character."

I stuck my tongue out at her.

I had to admit though, I was slightly envious of Mandy's unrequited love for Steve. At least her crush was someone she knew. All I had were fantasies of my favorite TV hero. Strong-willed, skilled, and always walking that moral compass between good guy and bad boy. Tall and muscular, he was black-haired with dark eyes that drew me in.

Embry Stronghold embodied what I knew I wanted my future husband to be.

And he didn't even exist.

I was just out of luck. It's not that the boys at the university were total hosers - some of them were quite nice. But they were boys. Not mature. Not macho. Not _men_.

They just weren't for me.

"Here, please, play this," Mandy said, passing a cassette to Amber. "I need something different. My ears can't take the torture anymore."

"Who is it?" Amber asked, popping the tape in.

"Poison, of course!" Mandy pumped her fist in the air with excitement, waiting for the first strains to flood through the speakers.

Tired of the conversation, I rolled down the window, letting the breeze ruffle my hair. "Hey, Chrissy? Turn it up!" I yelled, ready to belt out lyrics with Bret Michaels. We head-banged and danced while playing air guitar the last few miles to the lake.

Tires throwing gravel up, Chrissy pulled the car to a stop in the lot beside Mitch's Trans Am. We all jumped out and began unloading our belongings. Mitch, Kass, and Ray already had a fire blazing in the pit. Two tents were set up, and they were working on a third one. Coolers of food and drinks were scattered about the area. The bed of Ray's truck contained two girls dancing and singing _Pour Some Sugar On Me _- every girl's inner stripper's anthem.

"Trina, Reba, you guys are going to scar those kids in the next campsite over for life!" Chrissy called out to one of the dancing girls. Trina flipped Chrissy the universal "who cares" sign and Chrissy laughed as she slammed the door on her Plymouth. I had to push three times on my door to make it stick shut.

Stretching our legs, it felt good to be out of the car. We had been driving for over two hours from Port Angeles to the lake. "Which tent is ours?" I asked Amber across the roof of the car.

"I'll go find out from Lindsey." Amber headed over to the fire pit where her team mate was seated. Chrissy, Mandy and I began to pull our stuff from the trunk: hiking gear, folding chairs, coolers, and luggage - everything we would need for the week. Amber came back and pointed to a burgundy and khaki tent just a little ways back from everyone else and with its own campfire pit. "The adjacent site is ours."

Once inside the rainproof canvas, we dropped our stuff to the floor. It was Chrissy who gave voice to the thought ringing through our heads. "Holy crap, this is small!"

"Where are we going to sleep?" Mandy looked at the tent floor in dismay, every inch of it covered in bags.

"We have to make room," I shrugged in response and reached down for my bag. My action started the other three moving as we shifted things around. It took us about an hour and a half of moving things and resettling. By the time we were done, some stuff was back in Chrissy's car, the chairs and cooler were set up around the fire pit, and the rest of our stuff was lining the edges of the tent, leaving our sleeping bags square in the middle. It wasn't ideal, and it didn't give us much room, but it would work for the week.

"I'm going to go see who else is here," Mandy announced when we finished. I didn't bother hiding my smirk - no need to figure out "who else" Mandy was looking for. She saw my look and muttered, "Stuff it, Tiffany," with a huff of indignation before stalking out. Chrissy and Amber left as well, heading over to the other tents.

I slipped my latest Danielle Steel novel from my bag, parking my butt into my foldable chair. If I was going to miss my soap opera, at least I had my back up. I just loved romance novels. Reaching into the cooler, I retrieved myself a can of soda and gave my full attention to my book. I was fully entrenched in the drama unfolding between Crystal, a young teenager with promising talent as a singer, and Spencer, who was much older than her.

He was being forced to marry an "age appropriate" woman that he didn't love, when a voice intruded on the heartbreak I was experiencing alongside of Danielle's little "_Star_".

"You've been so quiet over here. What are you doing?"

I blinked, looking up. Lost in my reading, I hadn't noticed the shadows of the forest had moved with the sun's descent. The late afternoon had slipped away into early evening. The voice that spoke to me belonged to a young man with close, cropped dark hair and dark eyes. If his tawny brown skin didn't give away his Native American heritage, it would have been obvious by his long, broad nose, along with his narrow jaw line and high cheek bones. When he saw he had my attention, his lips parted in a boyish grin that spoke immediately of mischief and flirtation.

I had to admit he was very handsome in a traditional way. I found myself responding to his smile with one of my own, lifting my book so he could read the cover title.

"Star?" he read, his dark black brows quirking as he looked at me for an explanation.

"Romance novel." I blushed, knowing what would come next. It happened in high school whenever I had pulled out my books to read after finishing a test or if the teacher left the classroom. The boys always teased me for my reading choices.

"Nothing wrong with a little romance especially with a girl as beautiful as you." Oh, he was really smooth. And cheesy. Even though his impression of a cheeseball should have left me cold, I'll be damned if I didn't find myself letting out a little giggle, my book falling into my lap as I reached up and tucked my straight brown hair behind my ear.

"I'm Josh." He sat down next to me in Amber's chair.

"Tiffany," I gestured towards the cooler. "There are sodas in there if you want one, Josh."

"Thanks." He dug himself out a can, popping the tab and taking a long drink. "So how do you know this group?" He nodded towards the people gathered at the other campsite.

"We all go to school together." I pointed at Mandy who was roasting a hot dog on a stick. "Mandy over there is my roommate." I proceeded to explain how she knew the others. "You?" I asked, glancing at him.

"I work with Kass at the lumber yards." Josh nodded his head in the other man's direction. Kass was Lindsey's boyfriend. He was a few years older than her and didn't attend the college. He was a working man.

Normally, I didn't like stereotyping anyone since it happened frequently with me as a Native American, but Kass looked exactly like a lumberjack. With thick, curly black hair, he had a square, unshaven jaw. He was stout in stature and tall, and he looked like he could bench press a Buick. He favored faded, worn plaid shirts, jeans and thick work boots that only cemented his job choice. Kass could be nice some of the time, but he was a drug user and when he smoked, he turned into an asshole. He would hit on anything with breasts, including me. I really didn't understand Lindsey's attraction to him.

I didn't want to automatically put Josh into the same category as Kass, so I gave him a second glance, comparing the two. Josh was dressed in a simple black cotton t-shirt, tucked neatly into his denims, and he wore hiking boots - appropriate footwear for the occasion.

Ending my perusal back at his eyes, I blushed a darker shade of red, noticing him watch as I looked him over.

Chuckling a low, rumbling laugh, Josh winked. "So, you go to school in the Port. What are you going for?"

"I'd really like to be vet tech. I just love animals."

"I can be an animal. Wasn't it Beauty who tamed the Beast?" he replied, waggling his eyebrows in a cocky, flirtatious manner.

My first thought was he was trying way too hard, but the twinkle in his dark eyes spoke of his teasing. I giggled a small laugh in response.

His mouth flashed a dazzling smile, causing his eyes to crinkle at the corners. Hands moving to his back pockets, he shrugged his shoulders, making him look like a little boy. "Would you want to go grab a beer and talk some more?"

Not finding any harm in just talking, I agreed. Following his lanky form, my eyes were on the ground when I bumped into him abruptly, not realizing he had stopped cold in front of me.

Hands automatically reaching out to catch myself and steady my feet, I grabbed the only thing available - him. I could feel how well muscled his form was under the warmth emanating from his t-shirt. Flustered, I could only utter an apology, hoping I didn't sound like an idiot. My mind was still caught up picturing him sans t-shirt.

"No problem." Josh had stopped in front of the ice chests. Stooping down, he opened the lid of one, pulling two cans free from the ice. He popped the tab on one, handing it to me.

Taking it, I swallowed a mouthful to alleviate the dryness in my mouth brought on by suddenly picturing Josh shirtless. The froth and foam hit the back of my throat and I couldn't stop myself from grimacing at the taste. Beer was not my drink of my choice. I usually didn't have anything more than a wine cooler at parties and just one at that.

"Not a fan?" Josh was watching me closely, a slight smirk on his lips.

I shrugged before taking a longer swallow. Maybe it was an acquired taste. Josh chuckled and found a plastic lawn chair to sit in. Following his lead, I sank down into a chair.

I wasn't sure when I realized I had reached a good buzz. Somewhere between listening to Josh talk about his job at the lumber mill, emptying another can of beer, and sharing what we were both looking forward to seeing on the trails that week, I had relaxed to the point where the world was just peachy keen, no matter what. It was getting colder now that the night had fallen and I pulled my jacket on to stay warm.

I was laughing about small joke Josh had made when I felt a hand slip onto my shoulder from behind. "Well, well, well..." A husky voice said. "Dude, How'd you do it? I see you've managed to get her to talk to you." It was way too close to my ear, and I knew that voice.

Kass's hand lingered a moment too long, sliding down my arm as he stepped around my chair to sit in the one next to it. Leaning away from him toward Josh, I tried not to curl my lip in distaste. When his breath wafted across my cheek, it smelled like he'd already been hitting a joint.

As if to prove my point, Kass reached into his flannel shirt pocket, extracting another rolled one. "No, seriously, he was, like, staring at you all afternoon. Like, some puppy love shit or something." He took his lighter out and lit the tip of his joint, taking a pull from it.

"Kass, don't be a douchebag." Lindsey dropped herself down on the ground between his legs, leaning back against him. She flipped her straight blonde hair over one shoulder. "You can be such an asshole," she said. While I shared her sentiment, I still didn't understand why she stayed with him. She reached up and took the joint, taking a puff on it before passing it back to him. "Josh doesn't know any better. He doesn't know he's got a tease on his hands. Tiffany's locked up tighter than Fort Knox."

_Oh yeah. Lindsey's a bitch. Maybe that was why._

I pressed my lips together, cheeks flushing with anger and indignation at her insinuation. Maybe it was the beer that loosened my temper but I found myself retorting back. "At least I won't be catching some disease because my boyfriend can't keep his hands to himself."

"What?" she shrieked.

Lindsey sat up on her knees quickly, her face as outraged as her voice. Kass was quick to grab her shoulders, holding her back. "Whoa, whoa! Babe, chill out! She's kidding." Glancing at me with his eyebrow raised, I could see the panic shining in his eyes. I knew then I had hit too close to home, figuring out quickly he must have cheated on her at some point.

"Lindsey, you know you're the only one for me, baby," Kass rubbed her shoulders, trying to soothe her.

_Liar_. Inside I was seething, my buzz ruined. I glanced over at Josh who was shaking his head, brows raised in confusion.

"We all just need to chill out," Kass continued, still trying to diffuse the tension that had flared.

"Don't start things you aren't smart enough to finish," I said, still hot they were ruining what had been a nice time between myself and Josh.

"Ouch," Kass whined, "how you wound me." He turned to Lindsey. "Here babe, take a drag." He offered his joint to her, which was still in his fingertips. She took it from him, taking an angry drag..

A moment later he held the joint out to me. "Come on. It's an apology. Think of it like a peace pipe," he offered in a joking tone.

_As if I would find that funny or something._

"No, thank you." My tone was frosty as I rejected his offer.

Kass tapped the tip of his joint against the arm of his chair, putting it out. "Here." He leaned across and dropped it into my jacket pocket, making sure to slide his lighter in with it. "Keep it with my apology. I've got more."

Rolling my eyes, I stood up, hands going to my hips. Mouth opening, I was set to lay into Kass and Lindsey both, but Josh stopped me from ever making a retort.

He stood before I could speak, holding his hand out to me. "It sure would be a waste of pretty music not to dance, don't you think?" I paused, the strains of soft music reaching my ears. It was pouring from Ray's truck, the headlights illuminating some paired off couples who were dancing around it.

I could feel my cheeks heating up already at the thought of slow dancing with him – at being in his arms. I nodded, letting my agreement slip softly from my lips. "Sure, Josh. That'd be nice." I placed my hand in his, letting him lead me closer to the campfire someone had started earlier. He twirled me into a light embrace, guiding my arms up and around his shoulders before settling his hands on my hips.

As we swayed together slowly. I was certain that my face was going to be a permanent shade of red. It felt nice to be held by Josh. Not only was he cute, but he was different from the other guys around. He was older- more mature- and during our talk I had realized that I wanted to know more about him.

I inhaled a deep breath, laying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. I felt very relaxed, like I was in a trance. I didn't know if it was from the alcohol or from the man holding me in his arms, but it was a completely pleasant sensation for me.

Like all great moments in a drama that get interrupted at the most inopportune time, it seemed even my moment wasn't meant to last. Barely a few dances later, a cool hand gripped my elbow and I was turned from his arms. I opened my eyes to find my roommate looking at me earnestly.

Mandy's face was drawn, brows low over her eyes, showing her concern. "Tiff? I _really _need to talk to you."

"Now, Mandy?" I couldn't keep the slight irritation from tainting my tone of voice. After months of her telling me to find a living, breathing, unscripted man, she was trying to drag me away when I finally had.

"It's an emergency!" The urgency in her voice captured my attention, dragging me from my annoyance. "Look, I need you. It's important," she pleaded with an inscrutable glance at Josh that I couldn't read. She gripped my hand tighter, squeezing it and jerking slightly.

"Alright," I sighed. I turned to Josh, an apology on my lips. It was unnecessary though because he gestured for me to go with her.

"Hey, I understand. Your roommate needs you. But save me another dance, okay?" He gave me a wink.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and nodded with a smile. "Sure thing," I agreed.

"Sorry, dude." Mandy was abrupt in her apology, confusing me with her rude brush off. Gripping my wrist, she dragged me away.

I stumbled after her. "Mandy, what – ?" I protested.

Pausing by the ice chests, she grabbed two wine coolers, handing me one and keeping the other for herself. Wiping her wet hand on her jeans, she grabbed me again, pulling me into the treeline just past our tent, away from prying eyes and curious ears.

Mandy twisted the caps off her bottle and mine. "Drink," she commanded, raising hers to take a swig.

Staring at her in confusion, I didn't immediately comply. "Mandy, what's this all about?"

"Seriously...you're going to need that drink when I tell you this." Mandy urged me to drink by lifting the bottom of my bottle with her hand. Still, I didn't drink. Letting out a sigh, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Okay, fine then." Straightening, she looked me straight in the eyes. "Tiff, there's no easy way to say this, but... Josh, well... he's married."

Shock reverberated through my body, stiffening my spine and widening my eyes. "What?" I managed to choke out, swallowing convulsively past the dryness in my throat.

"Married – as in he has a little wife at home. And Trina and Reba said he has a kid or something..."

Feeling my chest grow cold at her words, I couldn't help but think maybe they had gotten it wrong. Josh had been so nice, and surely he wasn't like Kass.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Mandy's eyes were full of sympathy as she looked at me. Flinching, I lifted my drink, taking a long draw from the fruit-flavored beverage. "I'm sorry, Tiff. I couldn't let you keep dancing with him because I know you, and I saw the look in your eyes. He's not the guy for you, Tiffany."

Scowling, I had to admit that she was right – but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

I took another drink. "What the hell is wrong with stupid guys and their inability to be faithful?" I groused out loud.

Mandy gulped back a few swallows of her drink. "It's one of the eight wonders of the world..." she answered, giggling.

"Eight?" I asked, laughing with her.

"Yep. It ranks right up there with the Bermuda Triangle."

That was one of the reasons I adored her so much. She had a weird sense of humor. Giggling together like two little school girls, we linked arms and walked slowly, talking about men and the stupid girls that fell for them.

"Kass is cheating on Lindsey," I confided to her.

"Yeah, that's no surprise," she said sarcastically. "I don't know how she can be so blind..."

"Who knows? They deserve each other. The bitch and the asshole," Mandy chortled. I took another drink, emptying my bottle as Mandy and I walked in silence, emerging at the shoreline. The water was pitch black. We couldn't see it very well, but we could hear it lapping at the bank.

"Boys suck." Mandy drained her bottle with those all too-true words. She drew back her arm to throw her bottle into the lake.

I reached out to take it from her. Littering was illegal and that was all we needed - some park ranger ticketing us for trashing the lake. "Boys do suck," I agreed, "but not all men are like that. Like, oh... I don't know, Steve Webber?"

Mandy moaned into her hands. "Oh, Tiffany!" She gave a long suffering sigh. "He's amazing. I spent all afternoon hanging around him in the group, but he didn't even ask me to dance! How can I expect someone like him to be my boyfriend?"

"Well, someone like Steve wouldn't cheat on his girlfriend, that's for sure." I tapped the openings of the wine cooler bottles together, listening to the small clink they made when they hit each other. "And he definitely wouldn't cheat on his wife if he got married to you. His brother, the pastor, would have a thing or two to say about that," I chuckled.

"Yeah he's better than that," Mandy agreed with me. "Plus he's so cute! What I wouldn't give for even just five minutes alone with him. Just five minutes..." Her voice changed into a dreamy sigh, staring at the water without seeing it. I could tell she was off in a dreamland, picturing herself married to Steve.

I let out a tiny sigh. My dream would just have to consist of my unnamed hero. At least when we returned from camping, I'd have my soaps to look forward to.

Even if somehow, the thought didn't comfort me like it should.

We were both staring off into space when a rustle in the woods around us caused both of us to jump. Grabbing onto my arm, Mandy ducked slightly behind me. I froze, uncertain if some wild animal had snuck up on us in the dark silence. It wasn't unheard of for a bear or mountain lion attack to happen. Even a deer or moose could be dangerous if it was surprised by a human.

Bushes parting, a figure emerged. It brandished a flashlight that cut across our faces, blinding us momentarily in our panic. The beam of light bounced away, and we finally got a good look at the person who had found us. Thankfully, it was the face of someone both Mandy and I recognized.

Steve Webber.

"Hey, sorry, you two. Didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, keeping the light lowered to the ground.

Beneath my jacket, I clutched my hand over my heart, as if I could still the frantic beating by merely holding it at bay. "It's alright, Steve," I said, inhaling a sharp breath. "I'm just having a minor heart attack here."

He laughed, the sound warm and rich in the darkness. "I really am sorry, Tiffany. Mandy." His flashlight beam followed his gaze as he glanced at her. "I saw you two take off, but you forgot to take a flashlight with you. It's dangerous out here in the dark. You never know what might lurk in the shadows. There have been animal attacks up here before."

"Oh yeah?" Mandy's voice was a little high compared to her normal tone. I couldn't tell if she was afraid by what Steve said, or if she was just nervous and excited at him noticing us and following. From the way she elbowed me in the ribs, I thought it was the latter.

"Yeah." Steve stepped toward us, turning his flashlight around and holding the end out toward me. "It's not always safe. Why don't I walk you two back to the campsite?" He pulled another flashlight from a coat pocket.

_He must have been a boy scout - be prepared. _

As I traded him my two empty wine cooler bottles for the flashlight, Mandy elbowed me again, that time hard enough to make me wince. It was her chance – the five minutes she asked for. I elbowed her back to let her know that I got her message just fine. Gesturing to my friend, I suggested, "That's nice of you, Steve. Why don't you walk Mandy back? I'm not quite ready to rejoin everyone. I need a few minutes to just think."

His eyes flicked toward Mandy. "Sounds good to me." She squeezed my hand gratefully. "I'll go back."

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Steve questioned, his dark gaze going back to me at the same time Mandy stomped not-so-gently on my foot.

Trying not to wince in pain, I grimaced a smile. "I'm sure," I said. "I've got this flashlight and I know how to run from animals." I waved Steve's flashlight around to prove my point.

"Okay." Steve didn't look convinced, but he turned to face Mandy when she stepped up beside him - almost leaning against him.

"It's so hard to see out here," she said, taking hold of his arm.

Watching them walk away, I shook my head, hoping Mandy would use those five minutes to her advantage. I smiled, expecting a full report about what happened on their walk when I got back to the camp.

Turning, I walked along the shoreline until I found a stump to sit on. Based on its location and the sculpted shaping, I could only surmise that some fisherman used this spot to sit and fish on a repeated basis. In that moment, it was going to be my quiet spot to think about what to do about Josh when I got back. I had promised him a dance, and I had to figure out how to get out of it.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there thinking, but I wasn't any closer to a solution by the time my butt got sore from the hard wood of the stump. I stood up, head spinning and slightly unsteady on my feet. The alcohol had finally hit my system completely. _Great_. I may have lied to Steve. I couldn't run from a chipmunk like that.

Clicking on the flashlight he had given me, I let the the beam flood the path in front of me. As I walked, I was pretty certain I was heading back to the campsite, but it was easy to doubt myself in the dark.

With the night dulling my sight, my other senses came to life and I became aware of an absence of sound. I could hear the lake water at the shore, but the stillness of the forest around me was _too_ quiet. I should have heard noises from nocturnal creatures that made their rounds at night, but instead I heard nothing.

My skin began to twitch, crawling with the sensation of being watched. Stopping, I turned in place to check behind me.

Nothing was there.

Shaking my head, I scolded myself out loud. "Nothing there, silly." Inhaling a breath to relax myself, I could feel goosebumps on my flesh, knowing I was going to psych myself out if I wasn't careful.

I turned again, walking forward. The silence unnerved me once more and I still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Slowing my steps, I listened intently for any noise behind me that would tell me someone was dogging my footsteps.

Still, I heard nothing.

Not entirely convinced by my auditory skills, I turned in a circle. The flashlight beam was strong and steady as it cut a wide arc through the darkness of the forest, illuminating shades of green and gray in its path. Then white.

And red.

I froze in place, my hand swinging back to the spot it had just shined upon, the light holding steady in the dark. It wasn't the pale white face of the man standing there in the treeline that had caught my attention. It wasn't his clothes, ragged and worn that set off an alarm in my head, or my sense of danger screaming at me that something was wrong.

It was neither of those.

It was his eyes that held my feet hostage.

His blazing, burning, _crimson_ eyes.


End file.
